"Even if bua, bhatija and Rahulji join hands, our tally of seats (in the Lok Sabha from UP) will be 74 instead of 73 now and not 72. I am throwing them the challenge that even today the BJP’s saffron flag will flutter here,” said Amit Shah.

Speaking at the renaming of Mughalsarai Junction as Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction here on Sunday, BJP president Amit Shah challenged political opponents to try win Uttar Pradesh in the 2019 general elections.

With an eye on the votes of the Poorvanchal region, under which Mughalsarai falls, Shah said, “I used to say that till UP does not develop, India won’t. Now I say till my Poorvanchal does not develop, India won’t.” He accused the SP and BSP of not doing anything for UP when they had a chance to do so in the past 15 years, and said they were envious of the BJP’s development works. He cited the recent MSP hike announced by the Union government as a boost to farmers.

Acknowledging that the way to Delhi is through UP, he said the BJP would win the state in the general elections next year.

The BJP chief also asked the Congress to clarify its stand on the amended OBC Bill when it is taken up in the Rajya Sabha, saying it will expose whether the party was really for the backward communities. The Constitution (123rd Amendment) Bill, 2017, commonly known as the OBC Bill, was passed in the Lok Sabha on August 2. It seeks to grant the National Commission for Backward Classes constitutional status on a par with the National Commissions for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

BJP National President Amit Shah at the renaming ceremony of Mughalsarai junction as Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction & inaugurating various other development programs at Bakle Ground Mugalsarai (U.P.) (Express photo by Vishal Srivastav)

Again raising the issue of the compilation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, to identify illegal immigrants, Shah questioned the Congress’s “silence” over an exercise that would ensure that “Bangladeshi ghuspethiye” were driven out of Assam.

“What is the NRC? It is meant to identify and throw out each Bangladeshi illegal immigrant from Assam. Mamata Banerjee says the NRC should not happen. The Congress party says the NRC should not happen. I ask Rahul baba, should there be NRC in this country? But he does not reply. You tell me, should these illegal infiltrators be thrown out or not? But I know the answer of Uttar Pradesh’s people, they will not want even one Bangladeshi infiltrator in this country to stay,” Shah said.

Adityanath said there was taint on UP’s name earlier due to “parivarvaad (nepotism)”, “jaatiwaad (casteism)” and “dange (riots)”. Under his and Modi’s rule, he said, governance and law and order had been restored and no one can any more discriminate on the basis of caste when youth apply for jobs. The CM also said Upadhyaya was a source of inspiration for all public-welfare works done by the UP government.

Announcing the renaming of the station after the RSS ideologue, Shah promised a research institute and statue dedicated to Upadhayaya. The RSS leader had died at the then Mughalsarai Junction in 1968 under mysterious circumstances.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said, “Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya learnt different principles in his early life. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a teaseller started his life at a railway station and trains.” — With inputs from PTI